[VIDEO] Skiers Narrowly Avoid Disaster as Plane Lands on Glacier During Alpine Race A video went viral this weekend of a plane narrowly missing a group of skiers on Monte Rosa’s Colle Sesia glacier, Italy, during the Mezzalama Trophy race. The Swiss-registered Piper PA-18 touched down on the Colle Sesia glacier at 13,878 feet (4,230 meters) just before noon on April 26, as hundreds of ski mountaineers ascended toward Capanna Margherita, one of […] SnowBrains | April 28, 2025 0 Comments
Turns All Year: A Guide for How to Ski Every Month of the Year in North America Ask any die-hard skier what keeps them up at night in the swelter of July, and odds are they’ll mention three innocent-sounding letters: TAY… Turns All Year. The idea is seductively simple: ski at least once every single month, no matter what the calendar or the weather says. The execution, however, is anything but. It demands early-morning alarms that ring […] Backcountry Clay Malott | April 28, 2025 9 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: Evening Light Steep Skiing Until Pumpkin Hour Report from April 24, 2025 We’ve had rough weather this month in Valdez, AK. But we did sneak out for one powder run with Pulseline Adventure on April 23rd, and it was glorious just to get out. Then, on a sunny evening on April 24th, we got back out and skied a warm-up and then two deliciously steep runs. This […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
Letter From The Editor: Myths, Fallacies, and the Usefulness of Social Media in the Backcountry I took my role as Editor with SnowBrains four years ago, when I was a young college kid at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. I wanted to ski every day and find a way to make a living from writing, and by some cosmic chance I landed an internship with SnowBrains. Not long after that, I was […] Backcountry Martin Kuprianowicz | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
The $4,125 Gold Pass Is the Ultimate Ski Pass for California and Nevada Unrestricted, transferable pass offers access to 36 downhill and cross-country ski areas in California and Nevada. The coveted Ski California Gold Pass, renowned for its flexibility and exclusivity, is now available for the 2025-26 season. It offers unrestricted, transferable access to 36 premier downhill and cross-country ski areas across California and Nevada. The pass, priced at $4,125, is offered in […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
Top 9 Largest Vertical Drops on the East Coast We all love stats and numbers and the ski industry is no different from any other sport, profession, or business in that aspect. Which ski resort has the highest elevation, which one has the most trails that are rated expert, and which resort has the most off-piste terrain are all questions we ask ourselves when trying to select the next mountain […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | April 27, 2025 5 Comments
Valle Nevado and La Parva, Chile, Announce Over $4 Million in Improvements, Expanded Offerings for 2025 Ski Season As anticipation builds for the 2025 winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, Valle Nevado and La Parva, two of the Andes’ most iconic ski destinations, have announced over $4 million in capital improvements and upgrades to enhance the guest experience. Both resorts are investing in lift modernization, expanded snowmaking and terrain offerings, hotel renovations, and new amenities that reflect a […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
Where Will it Be Deep This Week? These are North America’s Top 5 Forecasted Open Resorts for the 10 Days of April 27-May 6, 2025 It’s always snowing somewhere, and fresh snow is the essence of skiing and snowboarding. Whether you are chasing the deepest conditions or love seeing where the snow is piling up so you can live vicariously through others, this list of open resorts will be the deepest over the next week and beyond. This post takes us into May, which means the ski […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 26, 2025 0 Comments
The Effects of High Altitude on Your Body’s Largest Organ: The Skin High altitudes in alpine regions are challenging environments for anyone and anything. Not just fauna and flora had to adapt over thousands of years, but humans—whose bodies were not designed for living at altitude—struggle with the specific attributes of alpine environments and have to take special precautions when venturing into alpine regions. High altitudes have lower air pressure, resulting in […] Brains Julia Schneemann | April 26, 2025 0 Comments
7 Largest Indoor Ski Areas in the World For most of us in the northern hemisphere, the skiing season is coming to a close. Palisades Tahoe, CA, closed for the season on the 4th, leaving just two resorts open in North America. There still are plenty of places to ski this summer, however, and a unique way to get some laps in the off-season is actually indoors. A […] Anton Lengyel | April 26, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Most Underrated States in the U.S. for Skiing and Snowboarding When it comes to skiing and snowboarding, a handful of states often dominate the spotlight like Colorado, Utah, and Montana. However, some of the best powder, unique terrain, and unforgettable mountain experiences can be found in places that fly under the radar. These underrated states offer everything from pristine slopes and stunning backcountry to affordable lift tickets and smaller crowds, […] Brent Thomas | April 26, 2025 1 Comment
SnowBrains Forecast: Double Header Spring Setup Will Bring 5-9 Inches to the Northern Rockies This Weekend This forecast was created at noon PST on Saturday, April 26, 2025. A potent late-season storm will spin snow back into the Northern Rockies Sunday night–Monday, delivering up to 9″ on the higher slopes of southwest Montana before a cooler, showery pattern lingers mid-week and high pressure brings a dry, springlike rebound to close the period. The setup favors the […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Over a Foot of Snow For California This Weekend This forecast was created at 8:00 a.m. PST on Friday, April 25, 2025. A compact late-April storm will bring a quick burst of winter back to the Sierra Friday night through Saturday, delivering roughly 6″-15″ of fresh snow to the higher ski areas before drier and warmer spring conditions reclaim the range early next week. Behind the weekend storm, temperatures moderate, […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
The Top 9 Snowiest East Coast Ski Resorts of the 2024-25 Season A relentless parade of winter storms transformed the 2024-25 ski season into one of the snowiest in recent memory for the East Coast. Vermont, in particular, got dumped on, with Jay Peak leading the charge and several other resorts not far behind. Jay Peak features sixth in the snowiest resorts in North America, beating out all Colorado, California, and most […] SnowBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
French Junior Ski Champion Margot Simond, 18, Killed in Crash During Training in Val d’Isère Margot Simond, an 18-year-old junior champion, died Thursday following a training accident in Val d’Isère, France. Simond, who had just claimed the French U18 slalom title in March, suffered a fatal fall while preparing for the Red Bull Alpine Park event, a competition blending slalom and slopestyle scheduled for this weekend. Related: Italian Ski Racer Killed in Training at Schnalstal […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
Talks Underway in Austria to Merge KitzSki and SkiWelt to Create World’s Largest Ski Area Rumors of merging Austria’s famed KitzSki and SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser–Brixental ski areas are gaining momentum again, with new talks underway that could create the world’s largest ski area. Related: The 13 Largest Ski Resorts on Earth The technical, logistical, and political hurdles of linking KitzSki (Kitzbühel and Kirchberg) with SkiWelt seemed insurmountable for years. Now, both sides are signaling readiness […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
Who Reopened and Who Closed in 2024-25 as the Number of Operating U.S. Ski Areas Continues to Be in Flux The number of active ski areas in the United States is subject to change each season due to various factors such as weather conditions, financial viability, and operational decisions. Thankfully, The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast tracks these changes meticulously and has stated that as of the 2024–25 winter season, there are 501 operational ski areas across the country. This […] Industry News Brent Thomas | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
Vail Resorts’ 5 Colorado Resorts Announce Summer Opening Dates Breckenridge Ski Resort is still open for spring skiing and riding through May 11, while Vail Resorts’ five Colorado resorts prepare for summer. Golf begins at Keystone Resort on May 9, which means you can golf and ski on the same day in Summit County from May 9-11. Resorts will offer scenic chairlift and gondola rides, mountain biking, and a […] Press Release | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
Vail Resorts Revenue Up as Skier Visits Decline for 2024-25 Vail Resorts yesterday reported a 3.1% decline in skier visits across its North American resorts for the 2024-25 winter season, but also a 3.4% increase in lift ticket revenue. Related: Vail Resorts’ Stock Tanks Nearly 20% in Last Week Amid Tariff Concerns and Investor Scrutiny The Broomfield, Colorado-based operator, which manages 37 destination and regional ski areas in North America, […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 25, 2025 0 Comments
Spotlight on Mt. Bachelor, OR: RendezVan Festival 2025 As winter loosens its grip on the Cascades, Mt. Bachelor (just outside of Bend, Oregon) once again welcomed a vibrant tribe of nomadic souls and slope enthusiasts for one of the Pacific Northwest’s most anticipated gatherings — the RendezVan Festival. More than just a festival, RendezVan is a celebration of the adventurous van-life spirit. RendezVan blends mountain culture with music, […] Featured Article Nicky Blumm | April 24, 2025 0 Comments